Centaurea
centaurea, knapweed, star-thistle
Synonyms:
Cnicus [HC]
16 species
1 subspecies and varieties
1 subspecies and varieties
Show only taxa with photos
Order by:
Scientific name
Common name
Display as:
Centaurea benedicta – blessed thistle
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Washington to California, east to the Rocky Mountains, also in eastern North America.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, ditches, wastelots, and other disturbed, open areas.
Origin: Introduced from Eurasia
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Annual
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Washington to California, east to the Rocky Mountains, also in eastern North America.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, ditches, wastelots, and other disturbed, open areas.
Origin: Introduced from Eurasia
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Annual
Centaurea calcitrapa – purple star-thistle, red star-thistle
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Washington to California, east to New Mexico, also in eastern North America.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, ditches, wastelots, and other disturbed, open areas.
Origin: Introduced
Flowers: July-September
Growth Duration: Annual, Biennial, Perennial
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Washington to California, east to New Mexico, also in eastern North America.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, ditches, wastelots, and other disturbed, open areas.
Origin: Introduced
Flowers: July-September
Growth Duration: Annual, Biennial, Perennial
Centaurea cyanus – bachelor's button, garden cornflower
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the Atlantic Coast.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, ditches, meadows, wastelots, and other disturbed open areas at low elevations.
Origin: Introduced from the Mediterranean region
Flowers: May-October
Growth Duration: Annual
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the Atlantic Coast.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, ditches, meadows, wastelots, and other disturbed open areas at low elevations.
Origin: Introduced from the Mediterranean region
Flowers: May-October
Growth Duration: Annual
Centaurea diffusa – diffuse knapweed, tumble knapweed, white knapweed
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Yukon Territory to California, east across much of the U.S. and Canada to northeastern North America.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, meadows, ditches, wastelots, and other disturbed, open areas; noxious.
Origin: Introduced from the eastern Mediterranean region
Flowers: July-September
Growth Duration: Annual, Perennial
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Yukon Territory to California, east across much of the U.S. and Canada to northeastern North America.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, meadows, ditches, wastelots, and other disturbed, open areas; noxious.
Origin: Introduced from the eastern Mediterranean region
Flowers: July-September
Growth Duration: Annual, Perennial
Centaurea ×gerstlaueri – hybrid knapweed, meadow knapweed, protean knapweed
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to Idaho and Montana; also in eastern North America.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, ditches, meadows, wastelots, and other disturbed open areas at low to middle elevations.
Origin: Introduced from Europe
Flowers: June-September
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to Idaho and Montana; also in eastern North America.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, ditches, meadows, wastelots, and other disturbed open areas at low to middle elevations.
Origin: Introduced from Europe
Flowers: June-September
Growth Duration: Perennial
Centaurea iberica – Iberian knapweed, Iberian star-thistle
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Washington to California, also in Wyoming and Kansas.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, dry meadows, ditches, wastelots, and other disturbed, open areas at low to middle elevations.
Origin: Introduced from Eurasia
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Washington to California, also in Wyoming and Kansas.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, dry meadows, ditches, wastelots, and other disturbed, open areas at low to middle elevations.
Origin: Introduced from Eurasia
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Centaurea jacea – brown knapweed, brownray knapweed
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest and in the Columbia River Gorge in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to the Rocky Mountains, also from the Great Lakes region east to the Atlantic Coast.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, ditches, meadows, shores, wastelots, and other disturbed, open areas at low to middle elevations.
Origin: Introduced from Eurasia
Flowers: July-September
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest and in the Columbia River Gorge in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to the Rocky Mountains, also from the Great Lakes region east to the Atlantic Coast.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, ditches, meadows, shores, wastelots, and other disturbed, open areas at low to middle elevations.
Origin: Introduced from Eurasia
Flowers: July-September
Growth Duration: Perennial
Centaurea macrocephala – globe knapweed
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; central Washington to Montana, also in Colorado, and Great Lakes region to northeastern North America.
Habitat: Roadsides and meadows.
Origin: Introduced from Eurasia
Flowers: June-September
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; central Washington to Montana, also in Colorado, and Great Lakes region to northeastern North America.
Habitat: Roadsides and meadows.
Origin: Introduced from Eurasia
Flowers: June-September
Growth Duration: Perennial
Centaurea melitensis – tocalote
Distribution: Occurring chiefly west of the Cascades in Washington; British Columbia to California and Mexico, east to Texas and eastern North America.
Habitat: Roadsides, meadows, balds, fields, ditches, wastelots, and other disturbed, open areas at low to middle elevations.
Origin: Introduced from the Mediterranean region
Flowers: June-September
Growth Duration: Annual, Biennial
Distribution: Occurring chiefly west of the Cascades in Washington; British Columbia to California and Mexico, east to Texas and eastern North America.
Habitat: Roadsides, meadows, balds, fields, ditches, wastelots, and other disturbed, open areas at low to middle elevations.
Origin: Introduced from the Mediterranean region
Flowers: June-September
Growth Duration: Annual, Biennial
Centaurea montana – mountain bluet, mountain cornflower, montane star-thistle
Distribution: Occurring chiefly west of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to Oregon, east to Montana, Idaho, and Utah, also from Great Lakes region to northeastern North America.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, ditches, shores, wastelots, and other disturbed, open areas.
Origin: Introduced from Europe
Flowers: May-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Occurring chiefly west of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to Oregon, east to Montana, Idaho, and Utah, also from Great Lakes region to northeastern North America.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, ditches, shores, wastelots, and other disturbed, open areas.
Origin: Introduced from Europe
Flowers: May-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Centaurea nigra – black knapweed, lesser knapweed
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest and in the Columbia River Gorge in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to Montana, also Great Lakes region east to northeastern North America.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, meadows, wastelots, and other disturbed, open areas.
Origin: Introduced from Europe
Flowers: July-September
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest and in the Columbia River Gorge in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to Montana, also Great Lakes region east to northeastern North America.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, meadows, wastelots, and other disturbed, open areas.
Origin: Introduced from Europe
Flowers: July-September
Growth Duration: Perennial
Centaurea nigrescens – short fringed knapweed, Tyrol knapweed
Distribution: Occurring in scattered locations on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to Montana and Wyoming, also from Great Lakes region east to northeastern North America.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, ditches, wastelots, and other disturbed, open areas.
Origin: Introduced from Europe
Flowers: July-September
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Occurring in scattered locations on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to Montana and Wyoming, also from Great Lakes region east to northeastern North America.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, ditches, wastelots, and other disturbed, open areas.
Origin: Introduced from Europe
Flowers: July-September
Growth Duration: Perennial
Centaurea solstitialis – yellow star-thistle
Distribution: Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest and in the Columbia River Gorge in Washington; Washington to California, east across most of North America to the Atlantic Coast.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, ditches, meadows, grassy slopes, wastelots, and other disturbed, open areas at low to middle elevations.
Origin: Introduced from Europe
Flowers: July-September
Growth Duration: Annual
Distribution: Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest and in the Columbia River Gorge in Washington; Washington to California, east across most of North America to the Atlantic Coast.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, ditches, meadows, grassy slopes, wastelots, and other disturbed, open areas at low to middle elevations.
Origin: Introduced from Europe
Flowers: July-September
Growth Duration: Annual
Centaurea stoebe – spotted knapweed
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east across North America to the Atlantic Coast.
Habitat: Forest openings, meadows, fields, roadsides, wastelots, and other disturbed open areas from low to middle elevations.
Origin: Introduced from Europe
Flowers: June-October
Growth Duration: Perennial
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east across North America to the Atlantic Coast.
Habitat: Forest openings, meadows, fields, roadsides, wastelots, and other disturbed open areas from low to middle elevations.
Origin: Introduced from Europe
Flowers: June-October
Growth Duration: Perennial
• ssp. australis – spotted knapweed
Centaurea ×varnensis – hybrid diffuse knapweed, sand knapweed
Distribution: Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to Oregon, east to Idaho; also in eastern North America.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, ditches, wastelots, and other disturbed, open areas at low to middle elevations.
Origin: Introduced from Europe
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Annual, Perennial
Distribution: Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to Oregon, east to Idaho; also in eastern North America.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, ditches, wastelots, and other disturbed, open areas at low to middle elevations.
Origin: Introduced from Europe
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Annual, Perennial
